Elle McNicoll
Elle McNicoll | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Occupation | Bestselling Children's Author |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | University College London |
| Years active | 2020-present |
| Notable works | A Kind of Spark Show Us Who You Are |
| Notable awards | 2021 Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2021 Blue Peter Book Award |
Elle McNicoll (born October 5, 1992) is a Scottish children's writer.
McNicoll's debut novel, A Kind of Spark (2020) follows the efforts of an autistic[1] eleven-year-old girl, Addie, to establish a memorial to the witch trials in her Scottish hometown. McNicoll is autistic herself.[2] The book was children's book of the week in The Times and The Sunday Times,[3][4] and won both the Overall and Younger Fiction prizes at the 2021 Waterstones Children's Book Prize.[5] It also won the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Story, voted for by children.[6] McNicoll was also nominated for the Branford Boase Award [7] and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. McNicoll's debut was also named Overall Book of the Year by Blackwell's , beating titles in the Adult Market.[8]
Her second novel, Show Us Who You Are, was published in March, 2021, and was Children's Book of the Week in The Times.[9] It was also the Children's Book of the Month, as chosen by Blackwell's.[10] It was nominated for Best Children's Fiction in the 2021 Books Are My Bag Awards, and McNicoll was also nominated for Best Breakthrough Author.[11]
Her third novel Like A Charm was published in February 2022 by Knights Of and was also Children's Book of the Week in The Times,[12] as well as being reviewed as 'Another fiercely gripping, superbly original story' by The Guardian.[13] In 2022 McNicoll also wrote a story as part of the crime anthology The Very Merry Murder Club [14] edited by Serena Patel and Robin Stevens.
McNicoll was awarded an honour by the Schneider Family Book Award in 2022 for the US edition of A Kind of Spark.
McNicoll has been described as "undoubtedly an outstanding new talent in children’s books [who] will inspire readers young and old for generations to come”.[15]
Her debut novel has also been optioned for a television adaptation and McNicoll is involved in the development of the script.[16]
McNicoll has been an outspoken advocate for better representations of neurodiversity in publishing.[17] In 2022, McNicoll established The Adrien Prize, a prize for traditionally published children's books with a disabled lead character.[18] The longlist for The Adrien Prize 2022 was announced on twitter and included: The Night the Moon Went Out by Samantha Baines, The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton, A Flash of Fireflies by Aisha Bushby, Wilder Than Midnight by Cerrie Burnell, The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards and The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks by Emily Kenny.[19]
She currently lives in East London.
Works[edit]
- A Kind of Spark. London: Knights of, 2020.
- Show Us Who You Are. London: Knights of, 2021.
- Like A Charm. London: Knights of, 2022.
References[edit]
- ^ McNicoll, Elle (6 July 2020). ""I write about anything and everything, but I always write about neurodiversity": Elle McNicoll on being a neurodivergent author". BookTrust. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ McNicoll, Elle. "Stories from the Spectrum: Elle McNicoll". National Autistic Society. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Alex O'Connell, Children's Book of the Week: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, The Times, 6 June 2020. Accessed 7 June 2020.
- ^ Nicolette Jones, Children’s book of the week: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, Sunday Times, 7 June 2020. Accessed 7 June 2020.
- ^ "'A Kind of Spark' wins Waterstones Children's Book Prize". Books+Publishing. 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ "Blue Peter Book Awards 2022".
- ^ "Getten, McNicoll, Mann and Pearson feature on Branford Boase shortlist | the Bookseller".
- ^ "McNicoll bags Blackwell's Book of the Year | the Bookseller".
- ^ O'Connell, Alex. "Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll review — tween boy-meets-girl love story meets sci-fi horror".
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Blackwell's Children's Book of the Month, March 2021 - Show Us Who You Are. YouTube.
- ^ "Rashford, Sethi and McAnulty on Books Are My Bag Readers Awards shortlists".
- ^ O’Connell, Alex. "Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll review — a wildly imaginative world of secrets and spells". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Children's and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels". the Guardian. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "I Will Be Writing a Neurodivergent Detective Story for Crime Anthology | Blog | Elle McNicoll". I Will Be Writing a Neurodivergent Detective Story for Crime Anthology | Blog | Elle McNicoll. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Waterstones prize winner Elle McNicoll: 'I never saw autistic girls in books'". TheGuardian.com. July 2021.
- ^ "BBC orders 'A Kind Of Spark' adaptation from Canada's 9 Story Media". TBI Vision. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "Elle McNicoll on being a neurodivergent author | BookTrust".
- ^ "Prizes for disabled writers: Four awards celebrating disability". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ Twitter https://twitter.com/adrienprize/status/1587491241947709441. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
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